The TLE Commission was set up under SB 2033. Remember that was the bill from 2010 that gave us Common Core and started the crazy train of multiple “reforms” and the drain sucking sound of education dollars and instruction time. After attending and observing the Teacher and Leader Evaluation Commission meetings for several years now, I feel we had a small win last week. At the Nov 5, 2015 TLE Commission meeting, Student Surveys as a Quantitative measure was voted down. Had this passed, all districts would have been able to choose to evaluate teachers and potentially fire teachers based on a student perception of the teacher, including as young as kindergarten! However, because the vote failed, Student Surveys will NOT be recommended to the State Board of Education as a Quantitative measure for the state Teacher Evaluation system. Congratulations is deserved to the Commission for getting this one right! What precipated this vote? SB 706 passed last session and tasked the TLE Commission with recommending a list of Quantitative evaluation methods that are “reliable, research-based”. As stated by Dr Audrey Beardsley at a meeting for Superintendents and Legislators last Wednesday, “Students’ subjective perceptions quantified using a Likert-scale makes this set of data no more “quantitative” than quantifying principals’ observations or using portfolios using a rubric”. I find this interesting, since the TLE Commission did vote to recommend Teacher Portfolios as a “quantitative measure” to evaluate teachers. One of the best statements of the entire 2 hr meeting was from new TLE commission member, Corey Holland when he stated that the passing of this measure would be saying student surveys ARE a valid reliable quantiative measure? There is definitely much more education needed as to what exactly IS a quantiative measure and a qualitative measure! Teacher evaluation systems should be a matter of each district and not this EXPENSIVE convoluted system we are making up based on the wishes of the Federal government. I urged Superintendent Hofmeister to call for an independent review of the Oklahoma TLE system and the Tulsa TLE system by a statisical researcher that has no ties to any companies that benefit from this. She did this when she called for an independent review from OU/OSU for the A-F grading. She should do this again for the TLE System. It would either back up what she is doing or correct misteps, as well as give her credibility with the teachers and principals subjected to this evaluation system, showing she wants to get it right.
Lynn Habluetzel Legislative Director
Hiring employees for my business for over 30 years has shown me the deterioration in our education system. When I started in business, I could hire entry level workers that actually worked, wanted to do a good job and knew what the next step was. The last several years that was not the case. Employees felt such an entitlement and that just showing up was enough. If you trace back the timeline of those workers education, they went through school during the beginnings of the great reforms ( testing, accountability,etc) in education. I chose for my own two sons different schooling, one private and one a public school. Every parent should be able to choose what is best for their particular child. My husband teaches at a local community college and sees students come in unprepared even though they passed the prerequisite classes. I joined ROPE in 2010 wanting to do something to help my community and for me I felt that is through our education system.
Joy Collins - Creative Director
Julia Seay - Political Director
Reclaim Oklahoma Parent Empowerment
Jenni White - Education Director
Tracey Montgomery Parental Rights Oklahoma Liaison
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